Agony
by HunterofArtemis32
Summary: Percy Jackson is a boy with a hidden past and dark secrets. His parents are gone. His foster mom sent him to a camp. The only ones he has left are his best friends, Annabeth Chase and Nico Di'Angelo. But not even they know about the scars on his arms and the reasons behind them. AU. OOC. DARK.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! :D**

**I mentioned in the last chapter of The Stranger Within that I was thinking about starting a re-write of Pain and... HERE IT IS! :D**

**There will be mature elements involved: self-harm, abuse, drugs, alcohol, everything that was in the original. There will also be more explanation about the camp they attend and everyone's stories will be written differently. **

**I hope you enjoy the re-write as much as you loved the original :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

**PERCY'S POV:**

_My hand was shaking. The blade pressed against the skin of my wrist. I bit my lip, breathing heavily as I ran it across my wrist. There was a slight dark line. I did it again for good measure. I watched the blood come into contact with my skin, dripping onto the floor after rolling down the side of my arm. I stared at the marking on my arm and swallowed the lump in my throat. _

_This was the taste of freedom. _

I sat on the floor, my eyes latched onto the scars that laid on my arms. I dropped the sharp blade out of my hand. Pink scars over-lapped each other and my skin was white underneath. The pain hardly bothered me. I've been cutting myself since I was fourteen, and it's been three years. I just celebrated my seventeenth birthday a few weeks ago.

It's been three years since I started creating marks on my arms to get rid of the unforgetful pain that will always be attached to me.

I bit my lip, grabbing the blade again and pressing it against my right wrist. I was right-handed so my left arm was more mutilated than my right. I threw the sharp object into the box of valuables- what I liked to call them, and glanced up, concentrating on the white ceiling as the pain subsided. I leaned my head against the edge of my bed.

A few minutes later, I pushed myself off the floor and walked into the bathroom after making sure I was capable of walking without passing out and rinsed the blood off my wrists. The water turned pink for a minute before being washed away. I turned off the sink and grabbed a towel off the rack, softly drying my hands and arms.

I stared at myself in the mirror after finishing the task. Jet black, messy hair with sea green eyes. Beautiful eyes gone to waste. That's what my foster mom would say. My skin wasn't tan anymore like it used to be when I was younger; instead it was more pale. It was probably from the blood loss. There was a knock on my cabin door and I reached over, grabbing a black hoodie and throwing it over my head as I walked towards the door.

Standing in front of me was the greatest friend in the world, Annabeth Chase. "Hey, are you ready to go to the bonfire?"

"Yeah," I said.

"What were you doing?" she asked raising an eyebrow. Annabeth seemed interested on what I did. We were best friends, closer than most siblings. We only had each other.

I shook my head. "Nothing really. Just reading a book."

Her eyes widened with excitement. "Oh, what-"

"Not a book you would be interested in," I said grinning and shutting the door behind me. Annabeth had a strict nonfiction rule. If it wasn't nonfiction, she wouldn't read it.

We walked towards the bonfire, side by side. Annabeth and I have been friends since we were fourteen. She was the only one who hadn't betrayed me. She was the only one who enjoyed hanging out with me alone. None of our other friends, who were only friends with me because of Annabeth. The only one who enjoyed hanging out with me beside her is Nico. We call each other long-lost cousins because of our resemblance. He had black hair like me, but his eyes were dark brown.

The sad thing about Annabeth and I's relationship is she doesn't know I cut myself. If she ever found out, I don't know what would happen between us.

Since we're gonna be talking to each other often, I'll be honest with you. Annabeth is the most gorgeous girl I ever laid my eyes on. She had blonde, curly hair that reminded me of princess curls. I remembered when we first met and I had blurted it out. I couldn't look at her for days. I still remember this girl named Clarisse who shouted it out to everyone. Anyways, back to the present. She had these eyes that reminded me of storm clouds. A pretty shade of grey.

Annabeth is the kind of girl you don't want to mess with. She didn't care what people thought about her. She would put you in your place without hesitation. The best thing about her is her personality. She's beautiful, confident, intimidating, funny, sarcastic- can sometimes be annoying, I'll admit- but I'm glad to have her as a friend.

When we got to the bonfire, I sat next to her on a tree log that surrounded the large fire. She called over Grover and his girlfriend, Juniper. They only attended camp throughout the summer.

Wait a second, maybe I should explain the camp we go to. It'll help you keep up with the story.

The camp is for kids from the ages of ten to eighteen that's dealing with trauma or abuse or grief. It's a healing sanctuary, Annabeth calls it. It's a home. You can stay year-round or go live with someone throughout the school year. Many leave to attend regular school. Annabeth and I don't ever leave. For kids who stayed year-round, they had classes.

And the best thing about this camp was that you didn't have to explain why you were attending. No one was allowed to know, unless you decide to tell them. The only person who knew just a hint of your story was Chiron, the camp's director. He didn't ask why, unless you wanted to talk about it. He just knew enough to understand why you were here.

I started attending when I was fourteen, when my foster mom started seeing signs that I was being physically and verbally abused at school, and after I tried killing myself over it (and other things), she enlisted me into this camp right away.

Okay, back to Annabeth. I trust her, don't get me wrong, but I'm afraid if I tell somebody that someone might overhear and everyone will know what happened. I didn't want to take a chance of that happening. I didn't want to be treated differently.

"Hey, why were you guys late?" Juniper's question interrupted my thoughts. She took a sip from the drink in her hands. The bonfire had already started.

Annabeth pointed at me. "He was reading a book again."

"Again?" Grover said.

I held my hands up and shrugged. "I'm getting into books. Is that a crime?"

"No," Juniper replied sweetly. She was a nice girl, but liked to get into people's business. "I just have a question. Last year you said you hated books-"

"People change," I retorted before she could finish her sentence.

Annabeth rested a hand on my shoulder. "Guys, just leave him alone. If he likes books, then just let him be."

"Hmm," Juniper muttered but changed the subject. "Can you believe that this is our last week together before going back to school?"

Annabeth nodded. "I know. Junior year?" She nudged me with her shoulder. "Only two more years until graduation."

I stared at the fire that was slowly growing. "Mm-hmm."

"What kind of classes are you taking?" Juniper asked my best friend. Juniper was attending college this year and she was interested in what classes the high schoolers were taking.

Annabeth grabbed a stick from the ground and broke it into tiny pieces. "Well, of course the usuals. I'm thinking about taking some extra art classes to work on architecture. I haven't decided on what else." She glanced over at me. "Percy's going to take some classes on- what was it again?"

She was trying to get me into the conversation. I appreciated it, but it wasn't needed. I liked being separated from certain conversations. "Piano classes. I've been playing the acoustic for a while and I wanted to try something different."

"You can play acoustic?" Juniper inquired.

Annabeth answered the question. "He's played for me once. He's amazing."

"I didn't know you had a talent," Juniper muttered under her breath, but I heard it.

"I don't really share it," I replied staring at the fire again.

"I'm hot," Grover said removing his jacket. He glanced over at me and saw the black jacket that I was wearing. I mentally rolled my eyes. Here comes a gazillion questions... "You aren't hot?"

I shrugged, shaking my head. "Not really. I'm not sitting that close to the fire."

"Neither am I," Grover retorted. "I was just wondering if you were hot-"

I gritted my teeth. "Are you always a nag? I mean, like seriously!"

"Geez," he grumbled, raising his hands in a surrender motion.

Annabeth tugged on my hand. "Percy, let's go to the drink table. I hear they have blue Coke. Your favorite."

I was about to protest, but the look on her face told me otherwise. Mentally sighing, I allowed her to pull me off the log. She dragged me in the direction of the drink table, but instead took me closer to the cabins. Annabeth then turned around, crossing her arms above her chest. I slid my hands into my shorts pocket's and stared at her with a blank expression.

"What is your problem?" Annabeth asked, after realizing that she wasn't going to get anything out of me.

I scoffed. "My problem is they always nag me about everything. It gets annoying after a while."

"I've talked to them about it, but-"

"They don't listen," I muttered glancing down at the ground and my eyes focused on a large stick underneath my shoe. I broke it with slight pressure.

Annabeth took a step forward. Her finger appeared on the bottom of my chin and she pulled my head up, giving me access to her eyes. Her grey eyes searched mine, looking for anything that would explain my odd behavior. "Percy, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Who says I have anything to talk about?"

She shot me a look. "You trust me?"

"Of course," I answered honestly. "I trust you more than anyone."

She smiled at my response. "So you know you can tell me anything?"

"I do."

Annabeth took a hold of my hand and laced our fingers together. It was a normal gesture. We were affectionate with each other. "And you know how people are here, especially the ones who don't attend during the school year. Most of the year-round campers know how you act. Grover and Juniper are..." She stopped to search for the right word.

"Nosy," I stated.

Annabeth rolled her eyes but nodded. "They're like that because they're not with you every day."

"I know, but it still gets annoying because they ask me constantly," I said glancing back at them sitting on the log and enjoying the bonfire.

She sighed. "I know the feeling."

I turned my head back in her direction and smirked. "Like you have something to hide, Wise Girl."

"Maybe I do," Annabeth said in a teasing tone but her expression told me she wasn't kidding.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you're not telling me? I thought Annabeth Chase didn't keep secrets!" I gasped nudging her with my shoulder while pushing past her.

She laughed, following me up the hill to the cabins. "Every girl has their secrets, Seaweed Brain."

"Yeah, says the one who wears owl-covered shorts to bed," I called back.

Annabeth laughed again. "What does that have to do with what I just said?"

I shrugged, chuckling. "Nothing! It was to be funny."

"Har-har, you're so hilarious!" Annabeth said full of sarcasm. When she caught up with me, I casually threw an arm around her shoulders and poked her in the side with my free hand, doing it just to annoy her. I stopped when Annabeth shot me a dirty look.

We chatted the entire time while we walked towards her cabin. In about each cabin, there was about ten-fifteen campers. I was special because I got a cabin all to myself. The reason for that was because my foster mom recommended it to Chiron. He was happy to oblige. When we first met, I could tell he knew I was a kid with a story and secrets. My foster mom had told him that my parents were serving a life-sentence (which they were) and she couldn't take care of me anymore. It didn't really bother me because I was used to her not being there. She had a pretty busy job.

All right, enough about me. I'm not telling you my life story anytime soon. We just met.

We stepped onto the deck of her cabin and were talking about school starting soon. There weren't many campers who stayed so the classes were pretty small. I liked that because that was less people to socialize with. Annabeth spun around on the balls of her feet and held out her arms. I laughed before stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her petite figure. She told me a while ago that she loved my hugs, so I took the advantage to hug her tightly.

For some strange reason, whenever I hugged her close or looked at her for a long period of time, I always heard this voice in my head saying _she's the reason. She's the reason why you can't leave,_ but it may just be my imagination.

"Hey, are you and your boyfriend almost done?" I looked up from where my head was resting on her shoulder to see one of Annabeth's cabinmates leaning against the doorframe of her cabin, watching us amusingly. "I need help to figure out these equations our teacher gave us for the summer."

"Yes, Kristen. We're just saying good-bye," Annabeth replied then added, "And he's not my boyfriend!"

"Or am I?" I teased raising a suggestive eyebrow.

She laughed before releasing her arms from around my neck. "I'll see you in the morning, Percy. Good-night."

"Night, Wise Girl," I whispered shoving my hands into my jacket's pockets and walking back in the direction of my cabin. The bonfire was still going on, but I passed it, slipping my hood up onto my head to hide myself from others. Besides Annabeth, most campers considered me a pariah.

When I reached my cabin, I locked the door and stripped out of my jeans, leaving me in my boxers and T-shirt. I ran a hand through my messy locks, yawning loudly. I fell onto my bed, staring at a blank spot on the ceiling. The light from the fire reflected into my cabin since it was closest to the water (where the bonfire was always held) and I could see the nasty-looking scars on my arms. I pulled the covers over me and snuggled into the mattress, slowly drifting to sleep.

_"I hate my life," I muttered staring into the bathroom mirror. "No one wants me here. No one cares!" _

_The blade was pressed against the blue vein on my skin. I needed to get out of this pain. I had to end my life; right here, right now. There was no one left in the world that cared about me. There was no one who would miss me. My foster mom was busy with her job and my parents were gone. _

_I pressed the tip of the blade against it, the blood starting to show. I pressed harder. Salt-water filled my eyes. The blood started to drip down my wrist.. This was it. My life was going to end. About ten seconds later, my knees gave out from underneath me and I collapsed onto the floor, blacking out after my head collided with the hard tile._

_I thought it had worked. Sadly I was wrong. I woke up in the hostipal a few days later. _

I awoke from the nightmare, sitting up as fast as I could. I remembered that day vividly. The day I almost succeeded committing suicide. The day my foster mom found out what I was up to and enlisted me into the camp.

The day where I thought I was done with life.

**What'd you think?**

**If anything doesn't make sense, then you can PM me and I'll explain.**

**If you read Pain, Percy's story is told but his story is not the same. There will be more details- not in graphic terms, like description. He's mentioned a few things that will tie in with his story: foster mom, his parents serving a life-sentence, and he's a kid with secrets. **

**We never got to Annabeth's story, but hers will be different. **

**I haven't decided if Thalia is going to be in it because when I wrote Pain, I had no idea where I was going with that relationship. It was getting confusing also, so this story will be different. The chapters may have some similarities, but it'll be written better and it will make sense.**

**Question: are there any characters from the HoO series you would like to see? I'll try my best to mention them, but I don't know if they'll play a major part. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and look forward for more! :D**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello fans!**

**By the response, I can tell that many of you are enjoying this re-write. I'm glad because I was nervous if you were going to like it or not. **

**If any of you are wondering when the sequel to The Stranger Within will be posted and the answer to that is... soon. It'll be around late January/ early February. **

**Anyways, let's get on with the story! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or any of the characters mentioned.**

**PERCY'S POV:**

I stepped out of bed, picking up a pair of khaki shorts off the floor and a black T-shirt. I changed into the clothes before trailing into the bathroom. I picked up my toothbrush from its holder and started scrubbing away my morning breath. While I was finishing up, there was a knock on my door. I walked over to the front of my cabin (yes, with my toothbrush still in my mouth) and unlocked it, cracking it to see who it was. Annabeth shook her head, laughing softly as she did.

"Wha' do you want?" I asked teasingly, my mouth still full of toothpaste and spit.

"Breakfast time," she replied. She put her hands on her hips. "Can I come in or what?"

"Sure," I answered pulling it all the way open and turning around to finish brushing my teeth. "Shut the door behind you!" I heard the door close and I spit the remaining substance into the sink. I wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand.

Annabeth sat on my bed, wearing denim shorts and the T-shirt I got her for her birthday last year. It had an owl on the front with a book resting against the tree trunk. Annabeth loved owls. It was her favorite animal, and she loved reading. It was the perfect gift for her. She fell back, groaning loudly into her hands. I nudged her in the side with my knee.

"What's your problem?"

Annabeth uncovered her face and glared at me. "You take forever. Normally girls are the ones who you have to wait for."

"Annabeth Chase, are you saying I'm a girl?"

"No. I'm saying you're as slow as a girl."

I sighed, grabbing my zip-up hoodie from my closet. "Well, that's just great."

Annabeth made herself busy with picking at the loose threads of my blanket. "I feel bad for whoever you'll be with. The poor girl will be all ready within an hour and you'll be the one who's late."

"I'm not that slow!" I defended. "I just woke up-"

"That doesn't give you an excuse to walk around like a freaking zombie!" she exclaimed.

"You're just jealous because I'm awesomer than you," I retorted.

Annabeth snorted. "Awesomer isn't a word, Seaweed Brain."

"In my dictionary it is," I stuck my tongue out at her.

After zipping up my jacket, I grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed, making her shout in excitement. I gave her a weird look. We exited the cabin, ignoring the weird looks and giggling middle schoolers. I rolled my eyes. We're only best friends. People forget to remember that.

We entered the dining pavilion, heading straight for the tables which was crowded with the excessive amout of breakfast items. I grabbed a plate and started shoveling food onto it. Annabeth dropped a few pieces of fruit 'accidentally' next to my three pancakes, six strips of bacon, and two rolls. I shook my head, knowing for a fact she did it to be a pain in my butt. She always did stuff like that to annoy me.

When I reached over to grab a bottle of Coke, the sleeve of my jacket rose and two of the pink ragged lines showed. My eyes widened and I quickly grabbed the bottle, shoving the sleeve down. I frantically looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but everything seemed normal. I returned to my fake stage- acting normal and pretending that I'm not drowning in agony. I let out a deep breath and walked over to our usual table, sitting down next to Annabeth.

"Where is our lovely friends?" I asked drenched with sarcasm.

Annabeth rammed her elbow into the side of my ribs. "Be nice."

"Why?" I said with food in my mouth. "They're-"

"Just because they're nosy doesn't make them bad people. Juniper is really nice and Grover has some trust issues," she explained taking a strip of bacon off my plate. I frowned. "And besides, tons of people are nosy. Including you."

"We're best friends. I'm allowed to be nosy," I shot back swallowing.

Annabeth sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Why do I even bother?"

"That's what I'm asking," I muttered.

She punched me in the shoulder. "Percy, I know that you don't care about having relationships with others, but sometimes I'll like to be friends with other people."

"Then what's stopping you?" I inquired looking over at her. Annabeth's eyes glanced down to her plate of food. I sighed. "I mean, if you want to hang out with the other campers, that's fine by me. I have Nico."

Annabeth shrugged and tore apart her pancake with her fingers. "I don't know. I guess I just feel bad leaving you. We've been best friends for three years, Perce, and I feel somewhat attached to you."

"Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure?"

I chuckled and placed my hand on top of hers. "Wise Girl, I'll be fine. I promise."

Annabeth smiled then her facial expression turned disgusted when I drenched my pancakes in syrup. She dropped her head into her hands in shame. I just laughed.

**SCENE CHANGE**

After breakfast was dismissed, I walked back to my cabin, ignoring the constant stares. Ever since I started coming here, girls had made themselves available or tried their best to make it known they were single. When I had asked Annabeth about it, she said a lot of girls like that 'bad boy' image; the dark and mysterious atmosphere. I didn't see the reason why, but I guess that's because I'm a guy. I'd put many in their place, saying that I wasn't interested or that I wasn't in the mood to date.

I entered my cabin, shutting the door behind me and shedding the jacket I was wearing. There was no need to wear it in the security of my cabin. I sat down on my bed, holding my head in my hands. I glanced down to see the pink scars on my arms. I stared at them for a while.

A question continued to linger in my head: what if I could never stop? Who would accept me? I'm a broken mess. Whenever I feel emotional pain or whenever I was bullied, I would head straight to the stash of blades hidden under my sink. I had to get rid of the pain immediately. I've dealt with so much in my life, I don't even know what I could do without having a way to get rid of it.

If I don't do something to get rid of it, I'll start freaking out and eventually become a mess. When you've done it as long as me, you get attached. I tried once- _once_ to stop when I was fifteen. I lasted for about a week (week and a half, maybe) before the pain started eating me alive. I was put on pills to help with the symptoms but I still went back to cutting.

The only other thing that can calm me down is water. Not during classes, but on my own time. Sometimes, if I stayed under long enough, the pain would slowly start fading, but then I would have to resurface or I'd drowned. I really enjoy swimming. It keeps you relaxed and it allows you to have some time to think. Another good thing is it gives a great workout and it tones out your muscles which I like.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I huffed. I had to get up. I rolled off the bed and peered out the window to see who it was. Of course. I opened the door without hesitation. Annabeth walked inside, shutting the door behind her and not even asking me, flopped down onto my bed. I raised an eyebrow and after she closed her eyes, I flicked her on the head.

"Who gave you permission to just waltz into my cabin and steal my bed?" I asked blowing extra loudly in her ear.

Annabeth's eyes shot back open and she looked alarmed by the sudden noise. "You opened the door. I came in. Simple as that."

"It doesn't explain the bed part."

She flipped over onto her stomach, wrapped her arms around my pillow and dug her face into it. "There's room."

I sighed, dropping down next to her, but not before I slid on a jacket. Annabeth was used to me wearing jackets all the time. She didn't even question it anymore. I propped myself up on one elbow and knocked my forehead against her shoulder. Annabeth grumbled.

"No need to get all snarky, Chase." She smacked me lightly on the cheek. I grinned. "Okay, I thought you were hanging out with your other friends today."

"Come to find out I don't have any," she replied.

I was confused. "Huh?"

"All of them are busy. You know they complain that I spend all my time with you and Nico, which, yes I'll be honest, I do spend a lot of time with you guys," Annabeth said running her fingers through my hair. I nodded, listening. "But when I try to hang out with them, they all have excuses."

"Maybe they're afraid to hang out because you spend so much time with the social outcast," I said straightening her shirt so that it covered her lower back. She muttered a 'thank you'. I hooked one of my fingers into the belt-loop of her shorts just to annoy her.

She did her best attempt at a shrug. "You're not a social outcast. You just... keep to yourself."

"Annabeth, I talk to you and Nico. Everyone else stiffens and barely talks to me."

"They're afraid you'll beat them up," she laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, they're terrified." I noticed that she wasn't just thinking about that. There was something else going on. "What's on your mind, babe?" It wasn't awkward calling her that. I mostly did it to aggravate her, but there's other times I would call her it to remind her she had someone to talk to. We had a very weird friendship.

"You promise you won't get mad or laugh," she said.

I nodded. "I promise. Now talk to me!" I poked her in the side which I got a smile in return.

Annabeth propped herself on the palm of her hand and bit her lip. "Tony asked me out again."

My whole demeanor changed. "What?" Tony was bad news. He's a senior who makes bets all the time that he'll get a brand new girl every week. Call me old-fashioned, but that's disrespectful to girls. He's tried to ask Annabeth out before and it didn't go over so well.

"I was leaving my cabin and Tony walked up, being all- well, trying to act like he was all cool and everything. Pfft, loser. He wouldn't let me pass him unless I said yes."

"Did you?"

"No. I smacked him and threatened to knee him if he didn't move," Annabeth answered so nonchantaly like it was no big thing.

I started laughing. I buried my head into my sheets and laughed so hard, my abs started to ache. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks," then she added after a thought, "Wait, did you think I said yes?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure," I said resting my chin on my arms. "I don't want you going out with somebody like that."

"What if I did? What if I went out with someone like that?"

I glanced over at her and in all seriousness, I said, "I'd kill you."

Annabeth laughed and leaned her head on my shoulder. "It's like you and those girls that throw themselves at anything with muscles."

"Hey, Katherine's pretty cute if you think about it," I said jokingly.

She punched me in the side. "I'd kill you if you want out with one of them."

"Is someone finally admitting they have a crush on me?" I teased playing with one of her loose curls.

Annabeth pulled her head up and glared at me. "We're not playing that game again, Percy."

"I'm just kidding. We're just protective over each other."

She sighed. "I don't need pro-"

"I know, I know! You're not like normal girls," I said then nudged her in the shoulder. "But even girls with strong attitudes and hard shells have breaking points."

"What happened to my oblivious Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked ruffling my hair.

I took her hand hostage and played with her fingers. "I do have my moments."

"Occasionally," she smirked.

I dropped my head. "You never let me have the last word, you know that?"

"Get used to it," Annabeth replied with her signature smirk on her face.

I stuck my finger in her ear for payback. She whacked my hand away. Oh, my typical Annie. For the rest of the day, we stayed isolated in my cabin and watched movies on the small TV. We ate popcorn and candy, had popcorn fights, and even had a wrestling match over the remote.

Around eleven o'clock, Annabeth passed out on my bed. I was laying next to her, staring at the blank spot on the ceiling that I enjoyed looking at for long periods of time. Annabeth mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over so that she was cuddling into my side. It didn't bother me since we were closer than most best friends. I rested my head against hers and before I knew it, the slow breathing beside me and crickets chirping drifted me to sleep.

**THE NEXT MORNING**

My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I noticed was that my arm was wrapped around Annabeth. Her back was against my chest, and her 'princess' curls were ticking my nose. The sun was shining through the window, reflecting onto us. I rubbed my eyes and lifted my head to see what time it was. 8.43. Awww... we missed breakfast. My stomach growled at the mention of food. My head dropped back onto the pillow and I groaned into Annabeth's hair.

I got an elbow in the ribs in response. "Thanks. Now I'm awake."

"Not my fault."

"Then who's fault was it?" Annabeth asked.

"The invisible person who hangs out in my cabin because they're lonely," I rebuttalted.

She pushed herself up then looked over at me and shook her head. "You're a dork."

"And?" I shrugged, knowing that already. She reminded me like, everyday.

Annabeth pulled the covers off herself and stepped out of the sheets, raising her arms in a stretch mode. My eyes stayed glued to her figure. Her shirt rose a little so I saw some skin that was a different shade of color than her arms and legs. She yawned and ran her fingers through her ponytail. I stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.

I lifted the sleeves of my hoodie and ran my finger across a few of the ragged pink lines. There were a couple that have healed from years ago, but the newest cuts were red and you could see them very well. That was the main reason I wore hoodies and long sleeves all the time. It hid the scars from everyone. My behavior hid the emotional scars inside.

"Percy," Annabeth's voice entered my thoughts. "are you almost done? I really need to use the restroom."

I quickly pulled the sleeve back down and opened the door, startled by Annabeth standing right next to the door. I gave her a spooked look and she laughed, moving past me. I trailed over to the dresser and searched through the contents in it. I found an old T-shirt and after checking to see that no one was around, I took off my jacket and shirt, leaving myself bare-backed. I slid the new shirt over my head and picked up the hoodie.

"Where are those bruises from?" Annabeth inquired.

I spun around, finishing zipping up the hoodie and saw that Annabeth was leaning against the doorframe, staring at me. "What?"

"Those bruises are your back," she said walking over to me and stopping right in front of me. I bit the inside of my cheek, remembering the faint yellow markings the shape of fists plastered on the tan skin.

"Oh, them," I murmured. Annabeth looked concerned so I grabbed her hand in a total platonic way to reassure her that nothing horrible happened. She let a deep sigh. "About two months before the last school year ended, some of the senior boys came up behind me and did, well, that."

Her expression turned into anger. "Why?"

"I dunno know," I shrugged. "Guess they wanted to prank the social outcast guy."

"You didn't tell me about it."

I looked at the floor. "It wasn't a big deal. It barely bothered me. Though I do remember waking up with a sore and tender back."

Annabeth reached up and poked the corner of my mouth. "Tell me next time anybody messes with you. I don't like being kept out of the loop."

"I will," I promised brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. She nodded then turned on her heels and began walking towards the cabin door. I frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my cabin. I need to do some things today for school and I won't get them done if you're around," Annabeth remarked.

"Am I too distracting for you, babe?" I said with a smirk.

"Like you're hot enough to be distracting," she retorted; I laughed at how quick her response was. "I just don't want to be explaining everything I'm doing to a guy who has the brain the size of a peanut and won't even remember anything I tell him, so I'll see you at lunch," Annabeth sent me a sinister smile. She could be scary sometimes and I never wanted to ever be on her bad side.

I glared at her. "I don't have a peanut sized brain!"

"Keep telling yourself that!" Annabeth shouted back and abruptly left the cabin before I could kick her in the butt.

**And the second chapter is done!**

**Sorry if they're short, but they'll become longer as the story progresses.**

**I rewrote the scene at the end because I realized that the bruising wouldn't line up with the timeline so I made it to where some senior boys attacked him just for the heck of it. And it's sad to think that actually happens.**

**Third chapter shall be coming up soon. Thanks for being patient! :)**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


	3. Please Read! Important!

**I'm really sorry guys but this is not an update.**

**Unfortunately, I won't be able to post for a while. **

**I need you to pray for me. **

**I have a bulging disk and damage to my C5 AND C6 in my lower spine. C7 also has problems. It spread all the way to my neck and right shoulder and I can't use my right hand due to numbing, which sadly is the hand I write with. I'm typing this with my left so excuse any mistakes. I'm in a lot of pain and I have to take a break to heal.**

**After I return, I'll probably delete this AN for this story.**

**I am very sorry. I'll probably be back in a month or so. I love you guys! :D**

**-HunterofArtemis32**


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